The U.S Department of Energy seeks to provide support for regionally-diverse Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects through collaborative partnerships. By providing funding, technical assistance, and government coordination to accelerate deployment of these demonstration projects, DOE can help eliminate uncertainties, mitigate risks, and help create a robust U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Industry.

The primary goals of the Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects are to:

1. Install innovative offshore wind systems in U.S. waters in the most rapid and responsible manner possible, and

2. Expedite the development and deployment of innovative offshore wind energy systems with a credible potential for lowering the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) below 10 ¢/kWh or the local “hurdle” price at which offshore wind can compete with other regional generation sources without subsidies.

With over 4,000 GW of gross potential that is relatively close to key load centers, offshore wind energy can help the nation reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, diversify its energy supply, provide cost-competitive electricity to key coastal regions, and stimulate economic revitalization of key sectors of the economy. However, if the nation is to realize these benefits, key challenges to the development and deployment of offshore wind technology must be overcome, including the relatively high current cost of energy, technical challenges surrounding installation and grid interconnection, and the untested permitting or approval processes. DOE seeks technology demonstration projects that combine innovation with pathways for substantial cost reduction opportunities.

Bridging Research Interactions through Collaborative Development Grants in Energy (BRIDGE) is a new program that intends to support the SunShot Initiative by increasing the depth and breadth of expertise being applied to PV and CSP technology challenges. The BRIDGE program will employ a two-part linking approach to effectively develop U.S. capability in PV and CSP device and system design. First, BRIDGE will support the development of new Collaborative Research Teams (CRTs) of researchers who share coherent scientific goals and diverse but complementary theoretical, computational and/or experimental approaches. In addition, BRIDGE will encourage CRTs to explore opportunities to leverage existing DOE assets and expertise housed within the DOE Basic Energy Sciences (BES) Scientific User Facilities, the DOE Biological and Environmental Sciences (BER) Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) and Advanced Scientific Computing Research facilities (ASCR).

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

The U.S. Department of Energy is requesting applications to support outdoor phototrophic algae research and development in two areas: 1) nutrient and water use in algal production systems and 2) the development of algal technology testbed facilities. This research will support the Biomass Program’s goals to model pathways for significant (>1 billion gallons per year) volumes of cost-competitive algal biofuels by 2022.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

The SunShot Incubator program is designed to help small businesses make the leap from a great idea to the alpha/prototype phase or to the launch of their project, and thus accelerate the next generation of solar energy products into the market within a few years. Through the Incubator program, SunShot successfully leverages the expertise, capabilities, and facilities of DOE’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and other national labs to support small businesses as they transition to industry.

This round of the SunShot Incubator Program is for both hardware and non-hardware solutions that reduce the cost of systems that convert solar energy into electric potential.

The SunShot Incubator program consists of three tiers to which applications may be submitted:

Tier 1a includes awards up to $1,000,000 with a 20% cost share requirement over 12 months to accelerate the development of innovative hardware technologies from a proof of concept to a prototype.

Tier 1b includes awards up to $500,000 with a 20% cost share requirement over 12 months to accelerate the development of innovative non-hardware (soft BOS) technologies to the prototype/alpha product stage.

Tier 2 includes awards up to $4 million (anticipated award size of $1-2 million) with a 50% cost share requirement over 18 months that transition innovative hardware and non-hardware solutions into a pilot or v1.0 release and eventually full-scale deployment.

Webinar 1: This Webinar, mentioned in the FOA, will be held on March 5th from 4:30pm to 5:30pm Eastern Standard Time. Those interested in participating in the webinar should note the following:

• Audio is available through the Internet (headset/speakers) and over the phone. You will be able to access audio through the Webinar pop up. Clicking on Telephone will display the call-in number, which is also found in the registration confirmation email.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

The Wind and Water Power Program (WWPP) within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy intends to release a Funding Opportunity Announcement, tentatively entitled “U.S. Offshore Wind: Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects”. WWPP is planning a pre-solicitation public meeting in order to provide notice in advance of release of the FOA and to afford prospective applicants an opportunity to comment on the planned FOA, which is summarized in this notice.

The objective of this FOA is to develop and implement a variety of activities that deploy U.S. technical expertise in areas such as strategic and policy planning and analysis, energy market analysis, energy modeling, workforce development, and technical analysis to prime markets for increased use of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies in Indonesia. Benefits to the U.S. include potentially increased exports of domestic clean energy technologies and services in a rapidly expanding market, as well as access to data on clean energy policy and programs success and challenges that can inform U.S. national and subnational policy development. DOE anticipates providing $1.2M total to one Awardee over a period of up to three years to accomplish the goals of this funding opportunity. This FOA directly supports the goals of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), International Program.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Fuel cells can lead to substantial energy savings and reductions in imported petroleum and carbon emissions. To realize these benefits, DOE’s FCT Program focuses on funding fuel cell research and development (R&D) and technology validation activities supporting a portfolio of fuel cell technologies and applications. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which specifically supports the Technology Validation program element, will collect, analyze, and validate performance data from light-duty hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) operating in real-world environments. Feedback will be provided to the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell R&D projects and industry partners to help determine what additional R&D is required to move the technology forward.

With this FOA, DOE is accepting new applications for projects seeking to validate light-duty fuel cell electric vehicle performance and durability. The objective of each proposed project must be to collect and submit dynamometer and real-world vehicle performance data to a DOE-sponsored third-party collection and analysis provider to provide statistically valid projections on key metrics including durability of fuel cell systems. R&D of these technologies is not the focus of this effort and will not be funded through this announcement.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

The objective of the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI): High Operating Temperature Fluids (“HOT Fluids”) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support research into fluid materials development that will enable Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems to integrate with energy conversion devices capable of thermal to electric conversion efficiencies greater than 50%. DOE anticipates providing up to $10M in funding for up to 2 awardees to accomplish the goals of this funding opportunity. This FOA directly supports the goals of the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Technologies Program and the SunShot Initiative.

This FOA will take a MURI approach that ensures awardees bring together researchers from various technical backgrounds in order to achieve the discovery and a development of a liquid that is stable as a liquid from 0°C to 1300°C. This target must be achieved while also ensuring that the fluid has the necessary properties to be used in current CSP plant designs. Development of such a fluid will directly enable the achievement of the SunShot target of providing electricity generated by solar power at a cost of 6 cents per kilowatt hour (¢/kWh).

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to fund an administrator for a new American National Standards Institute, ANSI, accredited Superior Energy Performance Program, or SEP. The SEP program will provide industrial plants and commercial buildings with a roadmap for achieving continual improvement in energy efficiency.
Once launched, SEP will provide a transparent, globally accepted system for validating energy intensity performance improvement and management practices. It is anticipated that the SEP certification program will launch nationally in 2012. The intent of this funding is to support the SEP Program Administrator during the initial stages of promoting and implementing the program, with the ultimate aim of creating an independent, financially self-sustaining entity. The SEP Program Administrator will be responsible to launch and oversee the SEP program. Key tasks include (1) development of a self-sustaining business model; (2) promotion, education, and marketing; (3) management and administration; and (4) reporting and program evaluation.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Full Application Submission Deadline: 3/21/2012 5:00 PM ET

DE-FOA-0000634: PLUG AND PLAY TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

This is a Request for Information (RFI). DOE may issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein or DOE may issue no FOA at all.

The SunShot Initiative is investigating the development of transformational Plug and Play technologies and systems to reduce the so-called soft costs of the Balance of System, which include permitting, inspection, and grid interconnection. When installing a PV system is as simple as plugging an appliance into a wall outlet, the residential PV market will grow at an accelerated rate, both due to the simplicity of installation and the associated reduction in cost of the overall system. The potential funding opportunity will address the process-related issues and barriers by taking a fresh look at the grid and distributed PV systems as a whole and exploring new technology pathways to reduce total system costs and ease installation. The topic areas cover, but are not limited to, PV module technology, power electronics design, grid integration approaches, racking hardware design, and system installation process. Respondents are asked to comment on the questions in the RFI (see document under “FOA Documents” below). Respondents are also encouraged to comment on the value of the anticipated Plug and Play PV systems, as well as your organization’s anticipated interest in participating in such an opportunity.

All responses to this RFI must be delivered electronically in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format as an attachment to an email sent to the following email address: PlugandPlayRFI@go.doe.gov.

FOA DOCUMENTS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Submit RFI Responses to this email address. Questions may also be sent to PlugandPlayRFI@go.doe.gov with the subject line “Question”. All questions must be submitted at least 3 business days prior to each submission deadline.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Full Application Submission Deadline: 1/31/2012 5:00 PM ET

DE-FOA-0000637: IMPROVING ACCURACY OF SOLAR FORECASTING (RFI)

This is a Request for Information (RFI). DOE may issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein or DOE may issue no FOA at all.

With the integration of high penetrations of variable renewable energy sources quickly becoming a reality for many utilities, and increases in roof-top and distribution solar energy systems the SunShot Initiative is examining how to improve the accuracy of solar forecasting models. Accurate solar forecasts are essential for the power system operator to ensure grid reliability, and also important for solar power plant owners to minimize deviations from bids made in the power market and reduce operating costs. In addition, the SunShot Initiative is looking to establish by consensus, uniform and comprehensive metrics to measure the accuracy of solar forecasting. Respondents are asked to comment on the questions in the RFI (see document under “FOA Documents” below). Respondents are also encouraged to comment on the importance of accurate forecasting and universal metrics, as well as your organization’s anticipated interest in participating in a possible FOA opportunity.

All responses to this RFI must be delivered electronically in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format as an attachment to an email sent to the following email address: SolarForecasting@go.doe.gov

FOA DOCUMENTS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Submit RFI Responses to this email address. Questions may also be sent to SolarForecasting@go.doe.gov with the subject line “Question”. All questions must be submitted at least 3 business days prior to each submission deadline.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Full Application Submission Deadline: 2/3/2012 4:59 PM ET

DE-FOA-0000607: SUNSHOT INCUBATOR PROGRAM – SOFT COST REDUCTION

The concept paper application deadline has been extended to JAN 17 at 5pm.

The SunShot Incubator program is designed to help small businesses transition to make the leap from great idea, to the alpha/prototype phase, to the v1.0 launch of their project, and thus accelerate the next generation of solar energy products to market within a few years. Through the Incubator program, SunShot successfully leverages the expertise, capabilities, and facilities of DOE’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and other national labs to support small businesses as they transition to industry.

This round of the SunShot Incubator Program has been specifically designed to address soft cost reductions; proposals for hardware-related solutions will not be accepted. Though the focus of this round of funding is different than previous rounds, the main program goals and structure remain the same. That is, the SunShot Incubator Program will continue its aim to advance innovative solutions on a fixed payment schedule based on verifiable deliverables.

The SunShot Incubator program consists of two Tiers to which applications may be submitted:

Tier 1 includes awards up to $500,000 with a 20% cost share requirement over 12 months to accelerate the development of innovative soft BOS technologies to the prototype/alpha product stage.

Tier 2 includes awards up to $5 million (anticipated award size of $1-2 million) with a 50% cost share requirement over 18 months that transition innovative alpha systems/solutions into a pilot/v1.0 release and eventually full-scale deployment.

WEBINAR 1: This Webinar, mentioned in the FOA, will be held on December 9th from 4:30pm to 5:30pm Eastern Standard Time. Those interested in participating in the webinar should note the following:

Audio is available through the Internet (headset/speakers) and over the phone. You will be able to access audio through the Webinar pop up. Clicking on Telephone will display the call-in number, which is also found in the registration confirmation email.

WEBINAR 2: The second webinar mentioned in the FOA will be held on February 21st from 4:00pm to 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Those interested in participating in the webinar must register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/705284601. The participant will receive an automated email with the webinar address after they have registered. The system requirements and audio capabilities are described under the “Webinar 1” section above.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Concept Paper Submission Deadline: 1/17/2012 5:00 PM ET

Full Application Submission Deadline: 3/5/2012 5:00 PM ET

DE-FOA-0000595: SUNSHOT CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks to fund revolutionary applied scientific research that develops highly disruptive Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies that will meet 6¢/kWh cost target by the end of the decade. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for “SunShot Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development” intends to support research into technologies that have the potential for much higher efficiency, lower cost, and/or more reliable performance than existing commercial and near-commercial CSP systems and their expected incremental progress in future years. As part of the SunShot Initiative, this applied research program is intended to demonstrate and prove new concepts in the collector, receiver, and power cycle subsystems, including associated hardware. These developments should lead to subsequent system integration, engineering scale-up, and eventual commercial production for electricity generation applications. The SunShot CSP program is designed to look beyond incremental near-term innovation and explore transformative concepts with the potential to break through performance barriers as known today, such as efficiency and temperature limitations. These goals support the mission of the DOE SunShot Initiative.

There are four topics to which an application may be submitted under this FOA:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Pre-Application Submission Deadline: 11/22/2011 5:00 PM ET

Full Application Submission Deadline: 2/7/2012 5:00 PM ET

DE-FOA-0000561: SOLID-STATE LIGHTING MANUFACTURING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT – ROUND 3

The objective of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is achieve cost reduction of solid-state lighting for general illumination through improvements in manufacturing equipment, processes, or techniques. It is anticipated that success will lead to a more rapid adoption/installation of high-quality SSL products resulting in a significant reduction of energy use and a corresponding reduction of environmental pollutants. A secondary objective is to maintain, in the case of light emitting diodes (LEDs), or establish, in the case of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), the manufacturing and technology base within the US.

The Program Areas of Interest for this Announcement include topics for LED and OLED technologies. Improvements to cost-influencing metrics through the proposed approach shall not come at the expense of product performance metrics such as efficacy or color quality.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Full Application Submission Deadline: 12/15/2011 5:00 PM ET

DE-FOA-0000564: SOLID-STATE LIGHTING CORE TECHNOLOGIES – ROUND 8

The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to focus on applied research for technology development, with particular emphasis on meeting efficiency, performance, and cost targets. Specific emphasis shall be on achieving the performance and cost goals stated in the 2011 Multi-Year Program Plan (http:/apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/ssl_mypp2011_web.pdf) for Solid-State Lighting Research and Development. This document can also be found as an attachment to this Announcement. Successful approaches shall demonstrate a technology path that moves beyond the current performance levels detailed in the 2011 MYPP towards the future performance targets identified for the respective priority metric.

There will be four areas of interest to which an application may be submitted under this FOA:

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

The U.S. Department of Energy is requesting applications for the first industrial scale demonstration of the applicant’s photovoltaic (PV) module, cells, substrates, or module components that will achieve lower cost per watt. The applicant needs to demonstrate lower cost targets over the next two years than the current market leading technology and enable the path to $1/watt system costs by 2020.

Significant non-Federal cost share is required, to be achieved in partnership with private capital and state and regional funds. This funding opportunity will address the currently unfulfilled and urgent need for a significant investment to assist the first industrial scale manufacturing of a new PV technology.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Full Application Submission Deadline: 11/30/2011 5:00 PM ET

DE-FOA-0000563: SOLID-STATE LIGHTING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT – ROUND 8

The objective of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to develop or improve commercially viable materials, devices, or systems for solid state lighting general illumination applications. Specific emphasis shall be on achieving the performance and cost goals stated in the 2011 Multi Year Program for Solid State Lighting Research and Development which can be found athttp://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/ssl_mypp2011_web.pdf. This document can also be found as an attachment to this Announcement. Potential Applicants are strongly encouraged to review and understand the 2011 MYPP. Successful approaches shall demonstrate a technology path that moves beyond the current performance levels detailed in the MYPP towards the future performance targets identified for the respective priority metric. There are five areas of interest to which an application may be submitted under this FOA:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Full Application Submission Deadline: 11/3/2011 5:00 PM ET

DE-FOA-0000560: INNOVATIVE MANUFACTURING INITIATIVE

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DE-FOA-0000560 “Innovative Manufacturing Initiative,” is to solicit Applications for funding cost-shared research and development of innovative manufacturing processes and materials technologies to advance the clean energy economy by increasing industrial and manufacturing energy efficiency, deliver the breakthroughs that the Nation needs to significantly reduce energy and carbon intensity throughout the economy over the coming decades, and revitalize existing manufacturing industries and support the development of new products in emerging industries. This FOA seeks Applications to select and fund research and development (R&D) projects beginning as early as Technology Readiness Level 2 (Applied Research) with efforts up through Technology Readiness Level 6 (Prototype) to advance the engineering and development of transformational manufacturing process and materials technologies that significantly improve the competitive position of U.S. industry. In this FOA, innovative manufacturing technologies are broadly defined as new manufacturing processes, technologies, and materials that drastically reduce energy use in manufacturing without sacrificing product quality, production throughput, or system economics.